Heater for liquid-circulating systems



March a 2 1926;

' E. C. JOHNSTONE HEATER FOR LIQUID CIRCULATING SYSTEMS Filed May 26, i925 I: lib 274F15 atented Mar. 2, a

- s'r TES EDWARD c. JOHNSTONE, or srnn'raneune, sou'rn CAROLINA.

FOR I IQUID-GIRCULATING SYSTEMS.

v Application filed May 26, 1925. Serial No. 33,012.

To all whom it may concern." Be it 'l I1OWIl that'I, EDWARD 0. JOHN- STONE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of Spartanburg, 1n the county of Spartanburg and State of South Carolina, have invented an Improvement in I Heaters for Liquid-Circulating Systems, of

. the water jacket and radiator of a liquid cooled automobile engine.

.While'my invention is primarily intended as a heating attachment for use in mainta ning the liquid cooling system of a gasoline engine warm to prevent freez ng, permitting the storing of the automobile In a nonheated garage, yet the invention broadly. considered is applicable'to other uses, and may be employed for heating radlators er the like. An important feature of my present invention consists in the provision of means which will permit a relatively small quantity or amount of the liquid medium to be heated, into a heating chamber or.receptacle, whereby an economical and relatively small and inexpensive supply of heat can be given, which will create sufiicient and immediate temperature in the small quantity of liquid admitted to the heating chamber, so as to produce a-circulation in the system and through the application of a relatively slight heat supply. Thus, where I contem- .plate the use of an electric heating unit, it

ls-of great importance to conserve the ex- -pense and energy of an electric heater, the

expense of such a heating agent being neces- Q sarily of great importance in the comi so mercial success or very general use of any system of this kind. A'further ob ect of the present invention is to provide a heating ap pliance which can be attached to existing automobile engines at practically any convenient or desired point, in the water 1acket, at the radiator, or along the connecting conduits. Furthermore, in one form of my invention I may quickly fix the heating apliance at a single point with provision for 0th inlet and outlet through a single opening in the water jacket, radiator or other portion, substitute thesame for the dram I cook of the liquid cooling system if desired.

A further important object of my present invention is to provide a completely selfcontained heater. attachment, capable of being attached adjacent to but outside of any portion of the, system to which it is desired to attach the heater, thus rendering it at all times convenient for use, inspection application, repair, renewal or removing it desired.

In carrying out my inventionI prefer to utilize an electric heating unit, it now bemodifications' illustrated herein, I 'utilize the principle of attaching a self-contained heater, closely adjacent to while external of the liquid cooling system, providing in each instance a relatively small film of liquid to be circulated .in heat receiving relation to a compact, economical source of heat supply, thus quickly heating the relatively small film of liquid, initiating a'circulation thereby, and conserving the expense involved by employing a relatively small amount of the heating element. This film of liquid being relatively thin the total volume of liquid within the chamber is small as compared to the' heating surface in contact therewith, with the result that such volume of liquid is practically instantaneously heated, thus causingthe initiation of an extremely rapid flow of heated liquid through the entire system.

The importance of maintaining the automobile engine, oil and adjacent portions in a 'warm temperature, particularly during ,cold weather in winter and in non-heate garages, has long been appreclated, and

which I have evolved in carrying out the present invention.

Further features of the invention, novel combinations of parts and advantageswill be hereinafter more fully polntedout and claimed.

Referring to the, drawings, illustrating preferred embodiments, of the invention,

Fig. 1 isa diagrammatic view of a pori angled elevations a modified form of heater appliance wherein but a single opening into the circulating system 'is required for boththe outflow and intake; and

Fig. 7 is a .view, partly in cross-section of a further modification illustrating the use ofagasheater. I

Referring to the drawings, 1 deslgnates generally an automobile engine with the usual water jacket. 2 shows a radiator and the conduits 3 and 4connect the radiator and water jacket to the engine 1 in the usual manner. While I can. attach my heating appliance to any desired part of the. liquid cooling system, yet one of the conduits 3 or 4 affords a convenient meansto which my heating appliance can readily be 'aflixed. As shown in Figs. 2and 3, I tap recesses 5 and 6 in the top and bottom respectively of the conduit 4, fitting therein pipes 7 and 8,

which in turn are led to the heating chamber 10.. A suitable union comprising the pipe 12 and connecting nut 14 on the top," and elbow 16 and nipple 17 at the lower portion, are provided to attach to the heating chamber 10. Preferably the connecting pipes and chamber 10 are of brass, copper or other suitable noncorrosive and heat retaining metal. The heating chamber 10 is preferably formed with an enlarged flange substantially as illustrated at 20, being externally threaded to receive at 21 a correspondingly threaded cap 24 carryingintegral therewith the heating member 25, which is adapted to extend into the chamber 10, being covered by a metal coating 26 and having the current receiving socket por'tion27 to which the current conducting wires 28 are led. The heating member 25 and the covering 26 are of appropriate diameter and size to cooperate with the interior of the heating chamber 10 and form a relatively small and annular space therearoundas shown at 30, whereby.

the liquid from the 'interior of the conduit 4: will flow through the pipes 7 and 8 and fill the annular chamber 30 and the portion 31,

thus giving a thin of liquid around the heating element. The current carrying wires 28 canbe led to any suitable point where a connector of usual type can be supplied or detaching the same. Vith electric current supplied through the wires 28, the heating element will quickly raise the temperature of the liquid in the heating chamber .10, or if the liquid system is already at a,heated temperature, such for example after the engine has been run or in use, it will maintain the liquid in suflicicnt temperature to prevent freezing and preserve the oiling system and other parts of the engine in good working condition. My heater attachment readily initiates a circulation by drawing the relatively colder water through the opening 6 in the pipe 4 into the heater and thence allowing same. to be'heated and expanded in the upper portion 31 of the heating chamber and it is then forced outwardly through the pipe 7 and into the opening 5 during the heating and expansion of the liquid in the chamber 10. Thus the' continual heating and circulation of the liquid is maintained and with an economical source of heat supply, the relatively thin film of liquid in the recess 30 and the relatively large heating surface 26 giv' inggreat efficiency in the heat exchange from the heating unit to the liquid.

, In the modifications"illustrated in Figs. 5 and" 6', which I have termed a contraflow heater, I am enabled to produceboth the flow into the heater and thereflow of the heated liquid from the heater through the same recess in the cooling system. This afiords'a more compact self-contained heat- 111g unit than the form. illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, and furthermore enables the entire attachment to'be made through a single tapped recess in the cooling'system. or may be substituted for thedrain cock in the bot-' tom o lth tooling. system, radiator or other :position." Thus, as shownin Figs. 5 and 6, 40 designatesthe lower portion of the coolmg syst,em,wh1ch maybe the radiator or the like, wherein the usual drain cock is fitted.

through'a tapped recess at 41, by removal of the drain cock and thesubstitution of my heater, the contra-flow heating =efiect is produced. This comprises athreaded tap 42 attached to a recessed member 44' to which is fitted the heater-containing memher 45 by the threaded connection at 46. ThlS member 45 also has an extending flange 46 fitting within and dividing the recess of themember 44 into a relatively small-or thin annular passage 47, which opens directly through the neck 48 into'theopening in the liquid cooling system. This flange 46 is perforated at the upper end to receive the outlet pipe 49, through which. the heated 20 heater.

may be used to take the place ot the drain' a pipe or cock, I apply a removable plug 61 55 duits, pipes; water jacket and the liquid will flow backwardly and into the cooling system from the heating chamber 40, liquid being admitted through the annular passage 47 by means-of'a plurality of 6 holes 51, 51, into the heating chamber 50,

which latter is in direct heat receiving position to the heater 55. This heater is held in position by a removable cover or. plate '56 through which the current conducting 10 wires are led.

In the operation ot this term of my invention lyam enabled to secure an influx of relatively cool liquid and an outflow ot heated liquid through the same passage, cf-

footing the i n flux through l he neck 1-8 and annular passage 4.7, through the holes 51 into the heating chamber 50 and thusalso' securing the'advantagcs of a relatively thin film of water in direct heat receiving contact to the As-mycontra-flow type of heater to the bottom portion of the recessed member 44, which may also serve to dram out the liquid at anytime desired.

In Fig. 7 is illustrated a heater similar to that described in Figs. 1 to fl inclusive, but

* employing a flame, such as av gas-jet, as the heating element. In this form, the heating chamber .10 is substantially identical in construction and operation with that already described for use with the electric heater,

but where a flame is used, I lit in to the heating chamber a partition 70 and provide a plurality of outlets 7-1, 71, for the products of combustion and air inlets 72, 72, together with a circular air mixing chan'iber 73, thus allowing the gas or flame 75 to burn within the interior 76 of the -partitionand 40 with a constant supply of oxygen and outlet tl'lGI'BfIOIIl. Any suitable conduit 78 to conduct the-gas or other heating element can be led from any desired source of. supply, and if'requisite the entire apparatus could be covered. by one or more screens (not shown) as a protective feature, after the principle of the Davy lamp.

The advantages of my invention, wherein a complete attachable heater appliance or unit arranged in compact, simple and eflicient form, and capable of attachment to eX- istin types of engines or cooling systems, will be readily appreciated. The entire apparatus is positioned externally of the prin- 1 (e, thereby eliminating the danger and difficulty of stoppingthe flow or. circulation when heaters have been positioned directly in such conduits and pipes. Furthermore by having the heating appliance thus positioned externally the interior diameter and capacity of the circulating liquid is preserved,

and an effective and positive flow is produced from a point in the circulating system to and through the heating unit where the greatest efiiciency obtainable is secured,

through the small filmof-liquid in contact with a large heatedsurface. The arrangement is so compact as to be applicable to any desired point or position, and in the form shown in Figs. 5 and 6, can indeed be substituted for the drain cock, thus eliminating the tapping of any additional openings in the circulating system.

\Vhile I have described the invention as applicable to and primarily intended for,

the same warm and in operative condition, particularly in non-heated garages, yet it. will be appreciated that my heating appli- "ance and the principle thereof may be utilized advantageously in other manner, such use with an automobile engine to maintain for example as in affording a heating elc- "lent to heat a radiator in a. room, for commercial heating and the like, and I wish to claim the same thus comprehensively.

My invention is further described and delined in the term of claims as follows:

1. A llfiflltfl for liquid circulating systems, comprising a heating chamber, means permittingthe flow of liquid into and out of said heating chamber, and a removable electric heating element located Within said heating chamber, said heating element having such proportions relative to. the heating chamber that the liquid capacity of such chamber is small when compared to the heating surface of the heating element,

whereby the liquid within the chamberisquickly heated to a relatively high degree and propelled from the chamber through the circulating system.

2. .A heater for liquid circulating systems, comprising a heating chamber, means permitting the flow of liquid into and out of said heating chamber, and a removable electric heating element located within said heating chamber, said heating element hav-' i v EDWARD G. JOHNSTONE. 

